Potable water is essential to support and contribute to the well-being of societies. The mortality rate, particularly among young children, can be drastically reduced by providing clean, potable water, particularly in the case of preventable water-related diseases. It has been estimated that as many as 135 million people will die by the year 2020 where a causal factor for these deaths is unsafe drinking water as cited by the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development Environment and Security. Water scarcity is problematic in various regions of the world. Further, in developing societies it is desirable to have clean potable water to provide for employees in a workplace environment as well as family members in one's home. According to the World Health Organization in a report published in 2000, 1.1 billion people around the world lacked access to “an improved water supply”. This report further assessed that there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea each year where the causal factor for such illness is a lack of access to clean water.
Further, in the present day of conflict and environmental terrorism, the world's water supplies which are traditionally vast, covering a large real estate, and very difficult to protect, can be used by environmental and biological terrorists in potential attacks. Such water supplies are generally part of a larger network whereby contaminating a portion of the supply can systematically contaminate and spoil a large volume of would-be potable water. Of course the potential health hazards as well as economic costs for such malicious attacks are immeasurable. As of Jan. 14, 2004, the United States has approximately 54,065 public and private water systems. The systems are all potentially vulnerable to attack by potential terrorists; however, little funding is directed towards protecting such a vast number of water systems. Further, the practical logistics involved in protecting such large and vast water systems is very cost-prohibitive, yet the desire to, and urgency of, maintaining a clean potable water supply is present.
Government regulations regarding it are often less stringent on bottled water than those for public water systems. The former is controlled by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the latter by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Interestingly, one third of all bottled water sold in the United States is actually taken from a public water system. Bottled water also has the disadvantage of having to store and carry heavy bottles.
In many countries, such as the various countries in the Middle East, clean water is desirable at various locations where electricity is provided; however, there are no natural reservoirs of water provided to support the needs of individuals residing in such areas. However, it is well known that the ambient air contains a certain amount of evaporated water therein. The study of water in ambient air is referred to the study of psychrometrics which relates, in general, to the amount of water in the air as expressed in absolute and relative humidity with respect to the temperature and pressure of the ambient air. In general, as the temperature of the ambient air drops, the relative humidity increases even though the absolute humidity remains constant. In other words, the ambient air loses its ability to hold water therein and when the temperature drops below a determined dewpoint, the water condenses into liquid form and essentially “falls out” of the air. Therefore, it is desirable to have a cooling element that sufficiently cools the ambient air to draw moisture therefrom. However, the cooling element should not dropped to a freezing point which militates the effort to extract water from the air.
Another known problem which has plagued such machines that employ psychrometric principles is the growth and harboring of bacteria within such devices. Although the basic concept of using a cooling element, which in one form is a part of the heat pump cycle, to extract water from the air has been known in the prior art, a recurring problem with such systems is the promotion of bacterial growth in the water loops which results in unclean water which is not consumable by individuals. Therefore, it is desirable to produce a system that is well suited to kill, and not promote, bacterial growth. Further, it is generally desirable to have water at a temperature other than room temperature for consumption purposes. In general, many consumers desire cooler water for drinking. Alternatively, for certain beverages such as tea or instant coffee, individuals desire warmer water below a boiling point, which in general is mixed with other material such as tea contained within a tea bag or instant coffee granules to provide a hot beverage. Such temperature conditions are fortuitously non-conducive for producing bacteria.
Of course the extraction of water from ambient air requires a non-closed-looped air circulation system that draws in ambient air from an air inlet port. The air inlet port preferably passes through a filter which is well-suited for removal of dust particles and the like. Thereafter, the air passes through a cooling element which in one form is an evaporator of a heat pump cycle.
As described in detail and the detailed description below, various other forms of cooling a water condensation member are discussed such as thermoacoustic, continuous absorption and other methods. Various embodiments are disclosed in the detailed specification which in general relate to methods of condensing the water and secondly purification of the same.
With regard to a heat pump cooling system, it should be noted that although water condenses on the cooling element, in one form the cooling element is referred to as an “evaporator” because the refrigerant fluid contained therein passes through an expander to reach the evaporator and this lower pressure refrigerant fluid internally evaporates and draws heat from the outer surface of the evaporator. It is well known in chemical principles that evaporation of a fluid requires heat. Of course various refrigerant fluids have different boiling points and condensation points. It is also well known that R-134A is a refrigerant medium that operates particularly well within the temperature ranges that are desired in a system such as a water producing and delivery device. Other refrigerants such as and not limited to are R-12, R134a, R-22, and R-410 that should function as well as an operating fluid for the various refrigeration cycles described herein. Therefore, as the internal refrigerant fluid evaporates and draws heat from the ambient air passing around the outer surface of the evaporator, the temperature of the evaporator/cooling element drops and hence the ambient air lowers in temperature as well. As the temperature of the ambient air drops to about just above the freezing point, the water will condense and fall to a collection drip tray.
One of the embodiments shown herein shows a dual loop system where the water condensation member has a separate circuit than a refrigeration cycle. This provides a tremendous amount of flexibility for creating water and be in a more desirable section of a psychrometric chart to drop more water from the air in a given atmosphere condition then instead of using only an evaporator coil from a refrigeration cycle system. Basically, a heat exchanger from a water producing circuit with a medium such as glycol (propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, etc.) provides flexibility and flow rates and design of a water condensation member.
As described in detail herein, the collection trip tray in one form is in communication with a potable water fluid circuit that is thoroughly described below. A reservoir tank and filter system as well as hot water tanks all provide functions within the water producing and delivery device to deliver potable water that is clean and bacteria-free and ready for immediate consumption by individuals.